In an ESPN article by Brian Campbell earlier this month, UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman said he would love to take on UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
“I’ve got Anderson Silva on my mind, but if the fans wanted to see that fight [against Jones] and the UFC wanted it to happen, I’m 1000 percent in.”
The newly crowned 185-pound champion stated beforehand he was not the type who says “Hey, you wanna fight?” but did note that he already ask to fight Jon Jones once before. Weidman stated that he threw his name in the ring for UFC 159 after Dan Henderson dropped out due to injury. According to Weidman, “I wasn’t a big enough name at that point, so they were like, no.”
It is unclear whether Weidman meant the UFC or Jon Jones’ camp turned down the fight.
A superfight with Jones would surely please the hardcore fans of the sport. However, there is a question of whether the battle would actually be a superfight for the more casual fans.
After all, the interest of casual fans is often what propels the UFC to put on less logistically sound bouts. For example, Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz and Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones were each put on partially because it could draw in more casual fans.
The less devoted of the MMA community are only now realizing the talent that Weidman wields. A second win against Silva at UFC 168 is a start, but Weidman likely needs two or three more high-quality wins for the UFC to truly consider a possible bout with Jones.
A superfight only makes sense for the UFC if big money can be made, as a champion has to lose some clout by stomaching a loss on his record. So for now fans simply have to hope both champions keep winning.
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